Beyond the hoardings which are plastered with an array of colourful posters, a giant purple cow dominates the square.

On closer inspection, it's a large tented pavilion and smiling families are forming large queues from its doors, snaking through the area, which is also lined with food and drink stalls and packed with street entertainers.

Suddenly a walking 'dinosaur' appears who, just like the Pied Piper, is followed by a line of excitable children.

Everywhere you look people are handing out flyers and within a few minutes I've been invited to a show by a Danish performance company, comic Chris Fitchew's gig Jack-Of-All-Trades and the event Maydays: Confessions, during which you're invited to share your deepest darkest secrets with a bunch of strangers. I decide to pass on that one for now.

Welcome to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest festival where it seems that nothing is out of bounds.

Throughout August, tens of thousands of people from across the globe descend on the Scottish capital to see the good, the bad and the downright ugly ply their wares.

Enjoy Shakespeare?

You're in luck for there's a performance of his dark and intense drama Cymberline; Shakespearience, which is a romp through the Bard's favourite characters and Shakespeare For Breakfast, which does what it says on the tin.

There are one-man shows, brand new shows, cabaret shows as well as some opera. And there's stand up from a host of new kids on the block as well as comedy veterans like Al Murray and Sarah Millican.

There's also a strong emphasis on children's events.

Basically there's something for even the most discerning of theatre goer.

With so many international groups vying for space, it comes as no surprise that Wales wants to be at the heart of the action.

While many of our homegrown talents have showcased their work in Edinburgh in the past, this year there seems to be a bigger Welsh presence here than ever before with scores of groups performing under the Wales In Edinburgh banner.

So with little over 48 hours in Scotland - and a comfy pair of shoes as well as my trusty festival guide - I set out to see what Wales has to offer.

One of the trickiest things is working out the logistics as many of the performances clash.

But first on my list is a one-woman show which marks the fringe debut of Milford Haven's Torch Theatre Company.

As the company's been in existence for almost 40 years, what's taken it so long to get to Scotland?

Artistic director, Peter Doran, who's sitting at one of the tables outside the venue - Assembly Roxy - tells me: "We've received financial support from the Arts Council of Wales.

"It's a big gamble coming to Edinburgh so it's good to have that security.

"Being part of the festival really puts you on the world stage as there are so many international companies here.

"You hear lots of stories about how shows end up touring around the world because they've been picked up here. We're now getting our name out there. Part of the Torch's remit is to tour Britain so hopefully when we make those phone calls to the venues they might now have a better idea of who we are."

The shows

Helen Griffin co-wrote and stars in Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? (*****) which tells the story of the 20th century Welsh starlet who appeared in the original kitchen sink dramas and was Oscar nominated for This Sporting Life.

Helen Griffin

Beautifully directed by Doran, Griffin is a tour-de-force in the role, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster as Roberts experiences the highs of winning three Baftas and marries Hollywood royalty Rex Harrison, to the crushing lows as the marriage crumbles and she descends into alcohol abuse.

As Roberts imagines her conversations with Harrison, you really feel that he's in the room with her.

The most poignant moment comes as she uses each of the Baftas to symbolise her three failed suicide attempts, showing that even the highs were outweighed by the lows.

Even if you don't know who Roberts is, this is a story of which will grasp you.

From a one-woman show to Gagglebabble/Theatr Iolo's co-production The Bloody Ballad (***)also at Assembly Roxy.

The Bloody Ballad

Part gig, part slasher movie, Mary (Lucy Rivers) and her band The Missin' Fingers take you on a journey of murder and mayhem set around the Memorial Day celebrations in '50s America.

You feel as though you are watching a concept album coming to life and the catchy songs remain with you long after the show ends. It's an original and interesting idea for a show and the five musicians/actors are versatile performers but there's no real depth to the characters who are all a rather unlikable bunch - by the time it ended I didn't care what happened to any of them.

I start day two with a world premiere - Wales Millennium Centre's co-production with the Traverse Theatre.

Written by Tim Price, I'm With The Band (***) ells the story of a middle-aged Englishman, Northern Irishman, Scotsman and Welshman who have enjoyed success with indie rock band The Union.

Rehearsals for I’m With The Band

But when financial disaster strikes, Scottish guitarist Barry leaves the band and artistic differences come to the fore.

Just like The Bloody Ballad, this is part gig, part drama.

The scenes are linked together as album tracks and the cast of four also perform the music.

Directed by Hamish Pirie, the band provides a neat metaphor for exploring the political history of the UK's nations but the characters, which we only see the surface of, are just a little too stereotypical - from your frontman,the Englishman Damien (James Hillier), and your hot-headed swearing Scot Barry (Andy Clark) to Irishman Aaron (Declan Rogers) who has carved a chalk divide in his house as he and his estranged wife Sinead go to war with each other.

Matthew Bulgo is the highlight as loveable Welshman Gruff, who is lacking in self-esteem before growing in stature.

Humorous and touching in places, this production will no doubt evolve as it prepares for a London run and a UK tour.

I'm With The Band is one of three Welsh shows that are being staged in Edinburgh as part of the British Council Showcase - the others are NoFit State Circus' Bianco and National Theatre Wales' The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning.

Bianco

The Cardiff-based circus company is also premiering its new show Noodles (***) at the New Town Theatre before it heads on a European tour.

Noodles is a surreal cooking show which loses the plot as giant noodles take over.

While there are aerialists, hand balancers, wire walkers, contortionists and magicians, like other NoFit State Circus productions, it challenges your pre-conceptions of a circus.

I loved the skill of the performers who left the audience members open-mouthed with their flips, poise and sheer bendiness but, for me, the noodles theme was too much of a novelty.

How many times do we really need to see the acrobats cramming giant noodles in their mouths as loud chewing noises echo through the auditorium? I certainly didn't want noodles on the menu that evening.

One thing I was keen for a second helping of was The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (****) - could there be a more timely play at the fringe right now?

The Radicalisation Of Bradley Manning

Another drama penned by Tim Price, the writer this week won the inaugural £10,000 James Tait Black Prize for Drama for the work.

Directed by NTW's artistic director John McGrath, it ponders what led to Manning's journey from Haverfordwest schoolboy to the US soldier who became a Wikileaks whistleblower.

As with the Welsh tour last year, it's set in a real school - St Thomas of Aquin’s High School - but it's being constantly updated as the real story unfolds in an American courtroom.

A talented cast of six take it in turns to play Manning, from his imagined time in the classroom to his imprisonment.

With a strong digital input, computer screens set each scene so it's easy to keep up with the fast-paced drama.

There are also live webcasts of each performance and among those screening it are America's high-profile online news aggregator and blog The Huffington Post.

This is heavy going in parts but it will have you gripped from the start.

McGrath says: "It's a play of this moment. The story's at the forefront of all of our minds. In theatre, we're always asking what's the story behind the story."

Even if you spent the entire month in Edinburgh, chances are you would only scratch the surface of the fringe as there's just so much to see and do.

And if you're on a tight budget then there's a host of free events to enjoy, among them Cardiff comedian Benjamin Partridge's festival debut An Audience With Jeff Goldblum.

Playing downstairs at the intimate Banshee Labyrinth pub, Partridge pays homage to the Hollywood star.

With audiences making a donation in a collection bucket at the end of the gig, it's not going to make him a millionaire any time soon, but it's vital for raising his profile.

It's also another fine example of what the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is all about - celebrating talent across all genres from all over the world.